You might be preparing to say goodbye to your pond.
But, it does not need to be goodbye for good. And, you do not need to leave it standing empty.
With some thought and a bit of initiative, you can take your pond from an empty eyesore for the garden to an attractive garden feature.
If you really want to remake your unused pond, here are 7 great ideas as to how to do it.
1. Turn It Into A Garden
Home gardens give stunning curb appeal to your backyard.
You could plant flowers, tomatoes, or vegetables that can do well in smaller spaces.
With a dead pond in your hands, you might need to overcome a few challenges before establishing a colorful green garden.
Some common ones you may have to overcome include:
- Emptying the pond
- Drilling the base to ensure proper drainage
- Preparing the soil
- Planting the plants
To turn your neglected pond into a gorgeous garden, you want to begin emptying its contents.
Additionally – it is worthwhile to think about how your garden will be draining all the leftover water as it is emptied.
Lastly, as you are emptying out your pond and creating a drainage system, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- What is your rain? If you’re in a high rain area, you’ll be a little more involved in managing a proper drainage area than if you’re in a low rain area.
- The surface of your pond- If there is cement or concrete below your unused pond, you will need more than just holes for it to drain well. The best way to deal with the surface, instead of just poking holes, is using a metal hammer to create cracks to the surface to create drainage.
After you have a drainage system in place it is now time to get the soil ready to fill the pond.
The amount you use to fill the pond will depend on the depth.
Ponds that are small – about 3-feet deep – are manageable to recreate.
You can use minimal material to create a surface level.
However, when the pond gets deeper, you will fill it with rubble before you add the soil.
In this case soil will be comprised of different materials.
Because of the kind of setting you intend to create your garden which is muddy and likely nutrient poor planting a garden right away may be almost impossible.
That is why you want to bring in a mixture of materials to create a site to grow a healthy garden.
For this you will need:
- About 1/3 volume of soil
- One-third of manure/compost material
- 1/3 volume of sand
A combination of these constituents makes a fabulous and nourishing filler material for your new garden.
Finally, cover them with a layer of mulch and plant in your plants.
2. Create A BBQ Or Outdoor Kitchen Area
Establishing a BBQ area at your residence is always a fantastic alternative!
You need to discover a good location to put your grill, staying far enough away from tall vegetation (that’s flammable), and where there is not a risk of fire.
More often than not, you will find yourself surrounded by walls for a BBQ setup to take cover from flame and coal while preparing meat.
Imagine having a backyard pond that isn’t used, where you can benefit by all means and convenience having a BBQ as well (getting fancier now..).
To begin your BBQ time in the backyard pond steps to take is letting the pond do the work of emptying and drying itself.
Second, now that you have a space for your BBQ pond, you will need to involve figuring the size of your BBQ, to size your sections space for the other grills.
Since you owned a pond originally, (in this case a little raised pond), you can skip the step of looking for bricks and cement blocks.
All you need now is gravel to pave your path or maybe to leave it as is.
So now since you know the size of your grill, you can use that with relation to size out a space for the grills, while keeping adjacent, and even conditions for the portion that BBQ’s.
The idea of the pond also allows you to have the added benefit of separating the grills at a grill process or BBQ’s cooking at the same time.
You even might even consider utensil utensils in the same area.
3. Tile It And Make A Small Paddling Pool For The Kids
If your pond is visible from your house, it can serve as an outdoor play area for your children.
Water play is one of the kids’ favorite activities, especially during summer. Don’t let your property’s pond sit unused; you can let your babies play in the pond made shallow by your water lilies.
Paddling pools are typically plastic inflatable pools that you fill with water. The only issue with these kinds of pools is that they can be easily tipped or flipped over by the kids, so it is hard to contain their joy as they play within them.
If you have a pretty, shallow pond, you can use a liner to turn the pond into a paddling pool for your children.
Here is how you can make a paddling pool:
- You’ll have to clean out your pond and cover it with a smooth surface. A waterproof material is best; something that does not grow plants on the top yet allows for a flat surface for swimming.
- You also have to fill the unused pond to a height that is considered baby-friendly. A deep pool will present a hazard. Get the dimensions you desire right.
You can also get a manufacturable sinkable pool and design a more conventional pool.
When designing the paddling pool, please keep your pool child-friendly.
Don’t include any slopes where your child could trip and fall or sharp rocks that could harm them.
4. Create An Outdoor Hot Tub For Yourself
It’s a good idea to reward yourself for working hard.
You need a spot where you like to be alone and feel good.
Where else can you enjoy watching the sky above you while taking a bath than in an outdoor hot tub?
If you have a pond you don’t use, then you can probably avoid a lot of work.
You only have to drain the pond, there might be some piping work involved, and then just set the base.
Having a sturdy level surface is very important for hot tubs.
If your unused pond already has a sturdy base, you just renovate the it and seal up any cracks.
Properly installed, a good base provides protection and allows your outdoor hot tub to work as described.
A very nice place for an outdoor hot tub is a hidden space with a garden or potted plants. You want a location where your neighbors can’t see you.
With this idea in mind, you can create a neat little oasis for you and your family.
If you decide to do this, you will likely need to add gravel to connect the hot tub and your backdoor to make your entrance and exit from the hot tub relatively mud-free.
5. What About Creating An Ecosystem
Sometimes it’s actually a good thing to not fill the pond in.
You might actually be able to turn the area into a low-maintenance feature of your house and still use the pond.
You do not want to leave the pond alone altogether – you will need to adapt it to the natural habitat for small animals and plants.
For example – you can make your stangnant pond into a koi fish aquarium by adding a line of water in and out, and add the waterfall for the aesthetic. Koi are beautiful and low maintenance.
So rather than filling the pond in to just have a weed bed in a few short months, line the sides, fill with some soft rocks and gravel, add a water line, and bring your fish in.
6. A Fountain Sounds Like A Great Idea!
Fountains are amazing whatever your age.
Every time you discover a beautiful and unique fountain, you stop for a moment and think about how it works, as you start the process of the unknown falling wet from the top.
Do you possibly have a pond that you do not use in your front or backyard? You can create a grand fountain.
You would need some source of power and a pump.
The fountain design you choose can change and adapt to your framework.
You could or could not have many accessories to rise the top or ground base and diversion.
Regardless of which approach you use, I think there is nothing wrong with using a fountain.
7. How About A Sandbox For Your Kids?
Ultimately, if you don’t plan to have water in your yard, go ahead and fill the unused pond in with sand.
Sandboxes are known to be great at helping children create friendships as they play in the sandbox together.
A sand-filled pond will also help your child build muscle strength, but it will not do them any harm.
If you want a swing in the yard for your child, fill the pond with sand and hang the swing in the middle.
Children can swing and be free to fall in to the sand-filled pond without being hurt.
When making the sand-filled pond, be sure to remove hard surfaces like rocks and concrete to avoid serious injury.
Final Words
If you have a pond in your backyard that you don’t use, you have to decide: are you going to wake up every morning and view the same neglected state, or do something about the space?
Some of the visions referred to earlier can be costly and require significant time investment.
However, you could spend a little more time and money to upgrade the pond, and your home would look ten times better.
Ideas mentioned earlier fit into the low cost and creative category. Plus, you don’t have to worry about ongoing maintenance. You will actually leave a space in your life, because the ideas presented will require very little maintenance.